We’d heard a lot about Crux since our earliest days of escape rooming but never made it around to their location until today. It really seems like a place that would’ve been the height of escape rooms in Canada around 2015, but had since been let go. The main entrance room, the washrooms, and general areas were all worn down (perhaps due to COVID shutdowns?) Even the website seems to have been forgotten about. But, we’re here to discuss Those Meddling Kids specifically.
The staff member was friendly and helpful and gave us the right hints at the right time. She was generally enthusiastic about sharing the story. She admitted that she was new to the job but I think that she’ll do well if she keeps at it because she had the right type of energy.
The room itself is in better condition than the general facilities seem to be with all but one of the props intact and affixed solidly. There is appropriate audio and lighting in the different areas and it seems like making a home environment is fairly easy to do. There was some noise from adjacent rooms with the sound of amplified audio coming through the wall at one point. You’re also very close to the entrance and there can be additional noise from groups waiting to enter their rooms.
This room is very linear and approaching the easy mark. Only one of the puzzle clues could have been a little clearer. The storyline and goal are also very clearly presented and understood throughout. It has a bit of a spooky vibe but not much. They could definitely dial this up with the addition of lightning and thunder, power outages, or live actors.
A group of 4 newer players would be very comfortable in this room. I think that even one experienced player would be able to complete this room on their own within the allowed time. We did expect the room to be a bit bigger or have more to do which is why we gave it the rating of easy. More experienced players will complete this room quickly and may question the value.
Overall it was a fun room and great for beginners or pairs. Hopefully, the owners get back in there themselves soon and take care of some of the general upkeep because other escape room venues have really raised the bar in this area!